One of the key benefits of the cloud computing is being able to start small and grow both from a cost and implementation perspective.

Hubspan , a provider of cloud-based business integration solutions, conducted a survey on cloud computing and found the “cloud” is a strategic direction for most companies.

According to the survey, more than 60 percent stated that moving to the cloud for applications, infrastructure, integration and other solutions is a strategic direction for their organization.

About 35 percent of cloud strategy decision makers were C-level executives with IT management dominating the strategy in 41 percent of the cases.

 Most of the companies participated in the survey have deployed cloud-based solutions.

One third or 36 percent of those surveyed have implemented at least one cloud solution, with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) ranking among 70 percent of respondents as the number one cloud platform implemented or planned for implementation, according to the survey report.

Twenty five percent of those surveyed said they are considering moving some or all business processes to the cloud. This illustrates that more than half of the survey respondents see the value of the cloud. 

Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan, said, “This research validates what we are seeing in the market, with many IT departments looking to move applications and business processes to the cloud but doing so in a strategic, thoughtful manner.”

The report also found that lack of clarity around cloud benefits prevents some of the respondents from immediately implementing cloud-based solutions. Companies still struggle to understand what the cloud is and how to use it, despite of the growing adoption of cloud-based solutions.

According to the survey report, the security, management and scalability are the top considerations for companies when evaluating whether or not to deploy cloud solutions, with 70 percent citing the ability to secure data as their top priority. 

Other high scoring considerations include the ability to quickly integrate with internal applications and external partner systems as well as a “pay as you go” pricing model, the survey reported.

Hubspan offers dedicated server and cloud hosting business integration solutions. The company recently announced it has set record growth across multiple areas of its business in the first half of 2010.